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Ean Bezemer, 10, seen with family members by a hot tub, has a history of behavior problems and social difficulties. His mother helped form a support group for parents of special education students after struggling to persuade her Central Valley school district that Ean was autistic.

Ean Bezemer hugs his father, Pieter, at their home while his mother, Pam, sits nearby. Though his school district agrees Ean has autism, his primary designation for special education remains "emotionally disturbed." Pam Bezemer says: "He is a little boy who is loved very much by his family. And he has a lot of difficulty, especially in the social area."

Ean Bezemer works at the Central California Autism Center in Fresno. In California, the cost of state-funded developmental services for people with autism has climbed more than 300% over the last decade, to $638 million a year.

Ean Bezemer and his mother, Pam, play with the family dogs at their Central Valley home. Some parents in the region say getting an autism diagnosis for their children is too elusive, putting treatment out of reach for their youngsters.

Joseph Gutierrez, 13, who is practically mute, watches cartoons at home. He has been diagnosed with mental retardation but his mother, Maria, thinks he is autistic. "I believe if I have [an autism] diagnosis, it would help me understand the way he is and how can I help him," she said.

Maria Gutierrez tries to calm down her son Joseph. He bites and pinches and shoves when he gets frustrated. Maria Gutierrez thinks her son is autistic, but the school apparently ruled it out because Joseph likes being around people.

Autism: Unraveling an epidemic

Nearly 1% of U.S. children have some form of autism. That’s 20 times the prevailing figure in the 1980s. The increase has stirred fears of an epidemic and mobilized researchers to figure out what causes the brain disorder and why it appears to be affecting so many more children.